Cleaning of hard surfaces, such as floors (vinyl, linoleum, tile, cement), countertops, showers, etc. is well known in the art. Cleaning may be accomplished using cellulosic paper towels and non-woven sheets, as are well known in the art. Nonwoven sheets may be made according to commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,936,330 and/or 6,797,357. Cellulosic paper towels may be made according to commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,191,609 and/or 4,637,859.
Such sheets have been removably attached to manual cleaning devices. The devices increase reach, and improve ergonomics. For example, when the hard surface to be cleaned is a floor, the device allows the user to clean from a standing position, improving comfort over cleaning from a crouched position or on the knees. Manual devices may be made according to 2009/0077761; U.S. Pat. No. 7,346,428 and commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,305,046; 7,676,877 and/or D588,770.
To assist with loose, large particle cleaning, rotatable beater bars have been utilized, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,783, reissued Jun. 28, 1881; U.S. Pat. No. 306,008 issued Sep. 30, 1884; U.S. Pat. No. 329,257 issued Oct. 27, 1885; U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,927 issued Apr. 7, 1987; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,134,161 issued Nov. 14, 2006. The beater bars in these teachings are driven by the wheels. Particularly, each of these references teaches plural wheels contacting the floor to be cleaned. The wheels drive the beater bar, obviating the need for a separate electric motor. Electric motors add cost and weight to the device. Split beater bars have also been used, as shown in 2005/0055792 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,134,161.
In addition to or instead of a beater bar, the device may use a vacuum to remove debris from the floor. Vacuum may be accomplished with a fan to provide suction, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,137,169 and 7,293,322.
But with all of these enhancements to the device, the problem of removably attaching the sheet to the device persists. Hook and loop attachments have been suggested, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,505, but can be rendered ineffective by fibers which come off the sheet when it is removed. Likewise, adhesive attachment can be blocked over time. Looped straps were proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,301,586, but have the drawback of requiring a dedicated attachment, such as a nail. Clamps have been proposed, e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,426,809 and 5,815,878, but can be difficult to manipulate and may come loose over time.
Resilient retainers have been used to removably hold the sheet onto the foot of the device. These retainers use resilient fingers disposed around a cavity. The fingers extend from respective proximal ends juxtaposed with the cavity periphery to respective distal ends disposed in the cavity. The fingers may be generally planar and lying within the plane of the cavity opening or may extend into or out of the cavity.
Suitable retainers may be made according to commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,290, particularly column 4, lines 15-65; U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,516,508, 7,536,743, D409,343 and D487,173 or according to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,099,855; 3,760,450; 3,877,103; 5,876,141; and 6,098,239.
But these retainers do not solve the problem of fingers being pinched by the resilient fingers. If the fingers are too stiff, insertion of the cleaning sheet becomes difficult. If the fingers are too flexible, the sheet may not be retained throughout the cleaning task. Accordingly, another approach is necessary.
Furthermore, these retainers do are not suited for devices having a foot which does not have sufficient space under the cavity. For example, if the foot is thin, the fingers may be visible from and accessed from either side. If the user is not familiar with the proper sheet attachment, s/he may attach the sheet to the wrong side of the foot. Accordingly, another approach is necessary.